Corona Heights Park and Buena Vista Park are several blocks apart, but it looks closer than it is in reality when one walks from one to the other, as I did today. Both parks have undergone impressive trail improvements in the last few years.

From Castro to 17th, turn right on Douglass to its dead-end where you’ll notice two stairways. One will take you up to States in the Corona Heights neighborhood. A few steps also lead to the next street west, Ord, across from Vulcan Stairway’s foot. 219 steps later at Levant, continued up the States/Levant stairs and over to the east side of Corona Heights Park. Strolled through the live animal room (love the quail!) of the Randall Museum before climbing into the upper part of the park.

Corona's long main stairway (first foto) is fenced on both sides, but its older wood steps are steep and uneven. Near the bench at the top of the stairs is a short newer safety fence that wasn’t there last visit.

Round the left side is still a small area without protective fencing alongside the trail. To my right the summit rocks were occupied, as they frequently are.

Down the steps all the way and out the west side again: Roosevelt to Park Hill and steeply up the latter. At Buena Vista East and Park Hill is one of several short stairway entrances into the park. Up one of these to the elevated sidewalk that runs around the park, continued west to the long main stairway up (next two pics, about 171 steps), only a few years old. This newer beauty ascends nearly to the summit openspace.

An old stone stairway (fourth photo) descends from the summit on the north side. Multiple wooden stairways continue down, steep and uneven like Corona’s older ones.

Just once I’d like to see actual fines administered to people who smoke at transit stops (particularly where I was waiting for the #43 at Masonic and Haight, a couple blocks from the northwest edge of the park). AND in the parks, of course, especially now that it’s so dry. And since camping in the parks is also supposed to be a no-no, how come as I made my way down the north side there could be seen very clearly someone’s messy, littered campsite just off a couple of the main paved trails.